 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
Holy Virgin vs. Evil Dead 1991 (Lead) This cornucopia of martial arts, a vampirish moon monster with green-glowing eyes, naked female victims, a white-suited machine gunning army, crocodiles, flesh-eating fish, and a princess is a wild ride. Yen plays bookworm professor Shiang Chin-fei. During a picnic celebration, his female students are chewed apart by the moon monster (Ken Lo) that appears when the moon turns red. At first Chin-fei is a police suspect, but as the corpses mount, the cops realize there are supernatural forces at work. An archaeologist specializing in esoteric religions, a detective buddy, his ex-wife (now involved with the cop on the case) and the cops all assist in Chin-fei’s attempt to clear his name and solve the case. They travel to Cambodia to visit the Holy Virgin, princess of the High Wind Tribe. Early on there’s lots of female nudity, mostly tied to the activities of the moon monster that ravishes and then devours his victims, even baring his bottom in one scene. once the story settles in, however, the shift is to mystery and adventure, until the climactic hypnotic ritual conducted by villain Ma Tian, who wants to resurrect his power on earth as the God of All Mothers! For some this movie is a guilty pleasure. This is the first movie Yen shot in Thailand, here substituting for Cambodia, and much is made of the group’s inexperience in a strange land. The princess leaves her mountain enclave and she, as well, is a foreigner to the inhabitants below. Chin-fei’s first encounter with the moon monster leads to his being knocked unconscious as he tries to protect his students; the monster’s superhuman powers are much in force throughout, and multiple shootings, electrocutions, and stabbings don’t affect his mortality. He badly injures the cop on the case (Ben Lam) and hurts the princess. only when the characters unite forces do they overcome monster and god, with automatic weapons, lots of kung fu, and a special sword through the top of the creature’s head during an eclipse of the moon. Director: Wong Chun-yeung |